With Caleb Williams being a near-lock to win the 2022 Heisman Trophy on Saturday night, it is worth noting the USC Heisman winner whose season most closely parallels Williams’ journey: Carson Palmer.
If you think about it, the 2022 and 2002 USC seasons have a lot in common. We noted this in our November coverage of the Trojans.
You could see this coming, too: As soon as USC beat Arizona on Oct. 29, the Trojans knew they would stay home for the full month of November. If they won every game in Los Angeles, they would play for the Pac-12 title.
Caleb Williams would be a Heisman finalist with a chance to win the award.
USC did win every game it played in Los Angeles. Caleb Williams played brilliantly against Notre Dame in prime time on national television. USC went to a big bowl game. The Trojans restored the program after years of drift.
Carson Palmer, in Pete Carroll’s restorative 2002 season which launched the USC dynasty, smoked the Fighting Irish in L.A. in prime time to seal his Heisman 20 years ago.
Palmer in 2002. Caleb in 2022. The parallels are there.
Let’s look back at Carson Palmer’s USC Heisman story and his Trojan career: